19-letter words containing c, a, k, e
- lame duck amendment — an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1933, that abolished the December to March session of those Congressmen defeated for reelection in November.
- lean over backwards — to make a special effort, esp in order to please
- left-luggage locker — a coin-operated locker in which luggage can be left
- leukoencephalopathy — (medicine) Any disease that effects the white matter of the brain.
- like a cheshire cat — If someone is grinning like a Cheshire cat or like the Cheshire cat, they are smiling very widely.
- lord baltimore cake — a yellow layer cake, using only the yolks of eggs and having a fruit-nut filling consisting of pecans, almonds, maraschino cherries, and macaroon crumbs.
- make oneself scarce — insufficient to satisfy the need or demand; not abundant: Meat and butter were scarce during the war.
- miracle of st. mark — a painting (1548) by Tintoretto.
- mouse-ear chickweed — any of various similar and related plants of the genus Cerastium
- nasty piece of work — malicious person
- natural killer cell — a small killer cell that destroys virus-infected cells or tumor cells without activation by an immune system cell or antibody.
- not worth a cracker — worthless; useless
- office-block ballot — a ballot on which the candidates are listed alphabetically, with or without their party designations, in columns under the office for which they were nominated.
- okeechobee waterway — a waterway in S Florida from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. 155 miles (244 km) long.
- olive-backed thrush — Swainson's thrush.
- optical mark reader — (hardware) (OMR) A special scanning device that can read carefully placed pencil marks on specially designed documents. OMR is frequenty used in forms, questionnaires, and answer-sheets.
- parachute spinnaker — a very large spinnaker used on a racing yacht.
- particle kinematics — Particle kinematics is the study of the movement of particles, without considering the forces that cause this movement.
- paschen-back effect — a splitting of spectral lines observed when the source of a radiation is subjected to a strong magnetic field, caused when the vectors associated with the spin and orbital angular momentum exhibit individual rather than common precession.
- phakoemulsification — the removal of a cataract by first liquefying the affected lens with ultrasonic vibrations and then extracting it by suction.
- piggyback investing — Piggyback investing is a situation in which a broker repeats a trade on his own behalf immediately after trading for an investor, because he thinks the investor may have inside information.
- pileated woodpecker — a large, black-and-white American woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, having a prominent red crest.
- pocket-handkerchief — handkerchief (def 1).
- postage and packing — the cost of packing and mailing an item bought by post
- prick up one's ears — a puncture made by a needle, thorn, or the like.
- puncture repair kit — set of tools for patching a bicycle tyre
- put one's back into — to devote all one's strength to (a task)
- quick on the uptake — You say that someone is quick on the uptake when they understand things quickly. You say that someone is slow on the uptake when they have difficulty understanding simple or obvious things.
- quick-change artist — a person adept at changing from one thing to another, as an entertainer who changes costumes quickly during a performance.
- raise one's hackles — one of the long, slender feathers on the neck or saddle of certain birds, as the domestic rooster, much used in making artificial flies for anglers.
- rake over the coals — a black or dark-brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel. Compare anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite.
- rap on the knuckles — a mild reprimand or light sentence
- rhodesian ridgeback — a large short-haired breed of dog characterized by a ridge of hair growing along the back in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat. It was originally a hunting dog from South Africa
- rickettsial disease — any of several acute infectious diseases caused by ticks, mites, or body lice infected with rickettsiae. The main types include typhus, spotted fever, Q fever, trench fever, and tsutsugamushi disease
- rock-paper-scissors — a method of selecting, for example, which of two people perform a task: each person simultaneously makes one of three hand gestures representing a rock, a sheet of paper, and a pair of scissors respectively. Each gesture defeats one and is defeated by one of the other two: rock defeats scissors but is defeated by paper; paper defeats rock but is defeated by scissors. The person whose gesture defeats the other is selected
- sackcloth and ashes — a public display of extreme grief, remorse, or repentance
- sale and lease back — leaseback.
- san francisco peaks — a mountain mass in N Arizona: highest point in the state, Humphrey's Peak, 12,611 feet (3845 meters).
- save someone's neck — to help someone else escape from such a situation
- secondary picketing — the picketing by strikers of a place of work that supplies goods to or distributes goods from their employer
- sell like hot cakes — a pancake or griddlecake.
- sickle-cell anaemia — Sickle-cell anaemia is an inherited illness in which the red blood cells become curved, causing a number of health problems.
- smokestack industry — A smokestack industry is a traditional industry such as heavy engineering or manufacturing, rather than a modern industry such as electronics.
- smoking compartment — a compartment of a train where smoking is permitted
- stick in one's craw — the crop of a bird or insect.
- stick to one's last — a wooden or metal form in the shape of the human foot on which boots or shoes are shaped or repaired.
- sweetheart neckline — a neckline on a woman's garment, as a dress, with a high back and a low-cut front with two curved edges resembling the conventionalized shape of a heart.
- switchblade (knife) — a large jackknife that snaps open when a release button on the handle is pressed
- take (the) occasion — to use the opportunity (to do something)
- take care of sth/sb — If you take care of someone or something, you look after them and prevent them from being harmed or damaged.